Question

The tetraploid ancestor of the modern wheat is ______.

Options

• Triticum monococcum

• Triticum durum

• Aegilops speltoides

• Aegilops squarrosa

Answer 1

The tetraploid ancestor of the modern wheat is Triticum monococcum.

Explanation:

1. Triticum monococcum is the diploid (2n = 14) species considered the wild ancestor or primitive form of modern wheat.
2. The tetraploid wheat (e.g., Triticum durum, T. dicoccum) actually evolved later from T. monococcum through natural hybridisation and chromosome doubling.
3. So, while Triticum durum is a tetraploid species, its tetraploid ancestor (from which modern wheat ultimately descended) traces back to Triticum monococcum.